PFF - Pennock's Fiero Forum, PDA Edition

Upgrading Stock Size Wheels and Tires for a Modern look (Page 1/2)

Dennis LaGrua

APR 10, 11:19 AM

There have been many threads posted on using upgraded 17" and 18" wheels on this forum but one subject that was never touched about is keeping the 15 inch wheels and trying to upgrade the look. Today my favorite Fiero uses 17" wheels but the wheels on my other Fiero could use an upgrade .
As for stock GT size, I tried aftermarket 15" wheels on one Fiero many years ago and they look nice but still a bit dated for my taste, so the question is if you already have fancy 15 inch wheels and want to get a lower profile look are 15" tires with a lower sidewall available? 15" tires with a lower sidewall than the 60 size might be nice but would they look OK?
I am not real real optimistic about 15 inch tires as they seem to be disappearing from use but I'll throw this out there for conversation hoping to save the high cost of new wheels
.

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olejoedad

APR 10, 11:32 AM

I went with 17's, but I run 50 series tires (215/235) to fill out the wheel wells a bit.
IMHO, the car rides and handles better with a bit of sidewall.

Filben

APR 10, 12:08 PM

I think bigger tires look better. Like ridiculously wider in the back looks great. It is harder to find 15 inch tires and I think the the stock GT style wheels look the best. If you can find some replicas that are 16-17 inch your tire choice is a lot better.

[This message has been edited by Filben (edited 04-10-2025).]

Patrick

APR 10, 01:29 PM

quote

Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua:

...the question is if you already have fancy 15 inch wheels and want to get a lower profile look are 15" tires with a lower sidewall available?

IMO, low profile tires on 15" rims on a Fiero look terrible. It only accentuates the wheel well gaps.

I went for a happy compromise between 15" and 17" and chose 16" wheels with 225/50 tires rear, 205/55 front.

cvxjet

APR 10, 02:56 PM

I stay above 4" sidewalls; Back in the mid-80s a coworker owned a Dodge Charger which used 195/50-15 tires- basically 3.5" sidewalls- he hit a 2x4 on a clover-leaf which stripped the tire and then he slid off the pavement and bent the rim and a fender.

I found two tire sizes that were on popular cars back in the 90s (205/55-16 and 225/55-16) so there are many options for these sizes....Mounted them on VOXX Monza wheels which are light and great looking- so of course they stopped making them (Arrrggggggg!)

I know you are looking for tires for 15" rims but shorter sidewalls will emphasize the wheel-well gap and put you in danger of tire stripping and wheel damage.

My car with the 16s looks great and drives and handles well (Even with that loose nut behind the steering wheel)

[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 04-10-2025).]

fieroguru

APR 10, 05:43 PM

quote

Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua:

so the question is if you already have fancy 15 inch wheels and want to get a lower profile look are 15" tires with a lower sidewall available? 15" tires with a lower sidewall than the 60 size might be nice but would they look OK?

If you keep 15" wheels and go lower profile, the overall tire diameter will decrease. As mentioned, this will increase wheel gaps, lessen contact patch, and throw the speedometer off.

Most keep the tire diameter the same, increase the wheel diameter, and reduce the profile of the tire.

Some increase the tire diameter, increase the wheel diameter, and keep the profile similar to slightly shorter.

Dennis LaGrua

APR 10, 10:25 PM

With the ever decreasing availability of 15" tires I would guess that even the OEM sizes are on their way out. Wanted not to spend another $1000 for 17" wheels but I guess that may be the answer. Might go 16" as we have a spare set of those wheels here and just need to investigate sizes. The picture posted here with the Fiero on 16 inch wheels looks pretty decent but I always try to replace tires with the same OD as stock as to not upset the PCM/ECM trans shift points and speedometer readings. As for the comment on sidewall size I can confirm that going too small on the sidewall gives a lousy ride.
Appreciate all the good comments!

cvxjet

APR 10, 11:22 PM

I would like to add one thing to my earlier statement- The 225/55-16 tires that are on the rear of my car are slightly larger than the original (Getrag 5-spd equipped) 215/60-15 tires....25.7" vs 25.2" ....This has made the Speedo as close to dead-on as I can measure.

Dennis LaGrua

APR 11, 04:00 AM

quote

Originally posted by cvxjet:

I would like to add one thing to my earlier statement- The 225/55-16 tires that are on the rear of my car are slightly larger than the original (Getrag 5-spd equipped) 215/60-15 tires....25.7" vs 25.2" ....This has made the Speedo as close to dead-on as I can measure.

225/50-16 tires might be closer to the original OEM Fiero tire size at 24.9" diam. at only .3" difference. Might go that route and add 205/50-16 tires in front. Already have the 8" wheels so might as well use them. Probably save us $800-$1000. My preference is for 17" wheels but can't ignore the cost advantage.

Patrick

APR 11, 02:20 PM

quote

Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua:

225/50-16 tires might be closer to the original OEM Fiero tire size at 24.9" diam. at only .3" difference. Might go that route and add 205/50-16 tires in front.

! went with 205/55-16 tires in the front to match the circumference/diameter of the 225/50-16 tires in the back. This way, the sidewall width matches front to back, and the front wheel well gap is also lessened.

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